Short film produced by Taiwanese nominated at Cannes festival

2012/05/15 20:39:45

Berlin, May 15 (CNA) A short film titled "GASP," produced by Samuel Huang of Taiwan and directed by Eicke Bettinga of Germany, has been nominated for the best short film prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

"GASP" is among 10 films that have been shortlisted for the Golden Palm award. Most of the films nominated were by young directors and are 12-15 minutes long, on average, according to the festival organizers.

Huang, who runs a film production company in Berlin, told CNA that he and Bettinga were thrilled to hear the news and believed it was a good start.

The 15-minute short film traces the self-exploration of a 17-year-old boy, Huang said.

It is presented in French and German and took six months to complete, he said.

Bettinga, whose graduation short film "Shearing" was selected for Cinefondation at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, said he is enthusiastic about cross-cultural productions and hopes to work with Huang on a drama themed around Taiwanese and German cultures.

In 2007, Bettinga directed Trust.Wohltat, a television drama commissioned by ZDF German TV. In 2009, another of his short films "Together" was nominated in the critics week category (La Semaine de la Critique) of the festival.

Huang, who graduated from London's Metropolitan University with a Master's Degree in Marketing, said he has been pursuing a career in the arts, predominantly in the fields of classical music and film making.

"I will continue to work with Bettinga," Huang said, adding that he hopes his company could help promote further cross-cultural cooperation.

"GASP" will be screened May 23 for the media and May 26 for the public, according to the organizers. The winners will be announced May 27.